Microsoft has finally released the long-awaited Office for iPad app, while also making the Office Mobile free for both Android and the iPhone.

More specifically, the Office Mobile suite in the form of the Android and iPhone apps is now free of charge, without requiring any subscriptions for home use.

The new Office for iPad, meanwhile, brings the world's most popular productivity software to Apple's popular tablets, complete with support for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. The three Office apps - for iPhone, iPad, and Android - allow users to view documents on their mobile device for free, but there's a catch. While viewing is free, iPad users will have to get an Office 3665 subscription if they want to create or edit files as well.

In terms of design, the new Office for iPad is quite similar to the desktop version, sporting a clean, familiar design. The long-awaited app takes full advantage of the iPad's large screen, providing users with a more productive way to work with the Office suite.

Making Office mobile for Android and iPhone free, meanwhile, is bound to further boost the popularity of the mobile productivity suite. Office Mobile now frees users from any subscription ties, allowing them to easily view and edit Office documents on their smartphones completely free of charge, just like Windows Phone users.

Microsoft's move to bring its Office Mobile suite for Android and iOS more in line with its Windows Phone offerings may come as surprising for some, but it makes sense in the current context. Both Apple and Google have already pushed their own free office apps via iTunes and Google Play, respectively. Google moved to make QuickOffice the default app in its latest Android 4.4 KitKat OS, while also releasing it for older Android versions. Apple, meanwhile, has pushed its own iWork suite, which allows iOS users to view and edit documents.

Microsoft Office fans can now download the iPad versions of Word here, Excel at this link, and PowerPoint here. The free versions of Office Mobile, meanwhile, are available now on the Google Play store for Android and the Apple App Store for iPhone.